Women on Reddit reveal the 14 signs that prove your guy is a keeper

The heady thrill of infatuation is a feeling we all know well. There are the initial butterflies and clammy palms, which are quickly followed a sinking sense of paranoia, in the vein of "am I coming on too strong". But while the honeymoon period is often lauded as the most exciting period of a relationship, it's also when you're most susceptible to thinking that your love interest is the literal bees' knees. Yes, at this point, your judgement is considerably clouded - and while there's a good chance that you are onto a good 'un, you're not best prepared to spot the cues which could make you think otherwise. To help you out, these 14 women of Reddit have revealed the signs that prove your guy is a keeper.

1. They have to love animals

"We were about a year into our relationship when my dog passed away. I was of course devastated and my boyfriend insisted on coming with me even though he hadn't slept in about 30 hours. We got to my parents house, it was raining and miserable. I wanted to bury her in the backyard but with all the rain it was just impossible for me to do. He ended up in just his jeans and socks scooping the clay/mud mixture out by the handful (shovel was pretty much useless). At one point my dad said something along the lines of "you didn't sign up for this did you?" And he responded with, "I signed up for anything in her life" Both I and my parents knew he was a keeper that day. It's been six years and happily going strong."

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2. How adorable

"We were on the couch and I fell asleep. After a little bit, the sun started streaming in the window...I woke up to his hand shielding my eyes from the sun. Always thought that was a sweet gesture."

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3. Again, boys who love their pets are the absolute best

"When I first started dating my SO, his brother's bitchy girlfriend would leave her two ancient, crippled dogs with him when they would go out of town. These poor things were on their last legs, blind, so arthritic they couldn't even walk, and horribly incontinent. But my SO never got upset or impatient with them. He would calmly clean up their poop and pee, carefully carry them outside and set them in the grass to try to get them to go, quietly talking to them all the while, like, "Uh oh, did you have another accident? It's okay, let's clean it up... here you go buddy, have some food..." Etc. I knew after witnessing that, that he was a total keeper."

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4. Case in point:

"He sends you pictures of cute dogs when you're having a bad day."

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5. Honesty is paramount

"If he would rather be honest with you and risk upsetting you than lie to you. Someone who is willing to tell the truth even if it means a bad outcome for them is a special kind of person. It's easy to keep someone happy with lies."

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6. It's all about the little things

"When he pulls the covers over you and kisses your cheek when he thinks you’re asleep."

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7. How they deal with arguments can be very telling

"I was over at my boyfriends house and my boyfriend and I got into a pretty bad argument because of something I did and he was really pissed, so we didn’t talk for the rest of the night. I didn’t have my house keys so we slept on opposite sides of the bed, and I didn’t have a blanket. Well in the middle of the night I felt him put a blanket over me and put my head on a pillow, that’s how I knew."

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8. The way to a woman's heart is...

If he enthusiastically cooks dinner for you every day, even if you didn't ask him to, he's definitely a keeper."

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9. A good listener is so important

"When you are going through something rough and he listens and comforts you without judgment. When you can feel how much he cares and hurts to see you hurt."

"He's polite to waiters/cashiers/anyone in a less powerful position, even if he's having a bad day or something is going wrong."

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12. There should never be an ulterior motive to doing something nice

"He does things 'just because' without an ulterior motive. When my then boyfriend, now husband, woke up early to bring me breakfast I said 'What’s the occasion?' And he said 'No occasion. Just because.' I knew he was a keeper."

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13. This.

"Someone who will challenge you and make you better. Kind and fun and laid back, but stands up for his beliefs, but accepts differing views exist and doesn’t feel the need to chase after someone to prove a point."

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14. Ultimately, you just have to enjoy each other's company

"When you two can just sit and play a new video game together and just enjoy it. No need for sex or anything (i wont mind if it escalates) but just general enjoyment around each other. Other than is him having a clear view of what he wants in the future."

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Well, now you have fourteen things to look out for. But as I think we can agree, it all comes down to how well they treat your dog.